Macduffs Pub

Very good food and fun atmosphere. Typical pub setting. Had the Reuben and Mac and cheese. Expect very very large portions.
Only down is the price for what is basically pub food. Very good pub food but pricy.

This Scottish gastropub is probably the best pub I’ve ever been to. My husband, my almost 4 y/​o toddler and I are visiting So Lake Tahoe for a few days and a local recommended we go there. We did, and we were so happy we did.
They only have one booth in the house and luckily it was free, it makes it easier to dine with tots.
The staff is friendly and attentive, the food comes out quick and in huge portions. And, it’s all delicious. We had the buffalo wings, fries, Guinness beef stew, and corned beef and cabbage which came with mashed potatoes. As I said, everything was delicious and we could have fed 10 people with all that we ordered.
If you find yourself in this area it’s a place you should not pass up.

This is my family’s favorite restaurant in Tahoe! Perfect spot to dive in for a relatively quick and delicious meal

Shepard pie, corned beef & cabbage, Ruben were awesome.
Kids enjoyed Mac & cheese, spaghetti, and cheeseburgers.
Also have a rotation of nitro that hubby enjoyed.
Service was just ok but the food was amazing!!!

Omg so gooooddddd
Definitely the best pub food I’ve ever had. I went during the winter after a day of snowboarding, and even though I was sick, I enjoyed the meal so much. I ordered a chicken pot pie with a Guinness, definitely a good combination, but I wish I’d ordered something with their homemade corned beef. Some of my friends ordered it, and although I enjoyed my pot pie thoroughly, I was envious of their corned beef. Another great thing they do is, they make their own hot sauce. It has such a good kick, and definitely takes their fries to the next level. The staff is friendly and definitely makes you feel at home, and the overall environment is quite pleasant.
All in all, definitely worth visiting if you’re in the South Tahoe region and in need of some good nomnoms.

This is a hidden gem of SLT and a must stop for those looking for hearty Highlander food and great beers on tap.
Kristin was our waitress, but they all work as a team, and Sherry was wonderful as well. Very jovial and friendly atmosphere.
The cooks nailed the dishes we ordered, and we were able to observe a huge party (20 to 25 including kids) seated next to us get all of their food prepared to their liking… perfect. They didn’t have to send any back. We were very impressed.
The portion sizes are huge, and you could easily split an order.
We had their famous fish and chips… delicious! We also ordered their white pizza with pineapple… so light and delicate on the palate!
We look forward to our next visit. So we can have their corned beef and cabbage. Spotted that on a plate as we left, and it looked like it was cooked perfectly… cannot wait!

Lots of hearty food! Great spot for cold, winter days, especially after a day on the slopes.
It’s definitely pretty popular so it gets pretty busy around dinner. I came in a group of 10 and they said our wait could be 30 minutes, but we got lucky and only had to wait maybe 10 minutes at most.
Service here is fantastic. We had multiple people serving our table and they were all super friendly and energetic. The general vibe of the place is very lively and energetic as well since it’s a pub. Definitely a good spot to grab a bite and drinks with friends.
In terms of food, I found most of it to be alright. Most of the menu is very, very hearty and heavy food, which I generally don’t enjoy too much, so I have some bias there. Apparently their fish & chips are the way to go, so maybe I just didn’t order right. My group ordered a variety of entrees. I got the Mushroom & Swiss Burger and tried some of the things my friends ordered.
–CLAM CHOWDER ($ 9) — 3.5÷5
HUGE portion. Definitely recommend sharing between 2 people (maybe even 3), especially since this is meant to be an appetizer. The chowder is served in a huge bread bowl and was pretty flavorful. Very hearty, thick and creamy.
–MUSHROOM & SWISS BURGER ($ 14) — ²⁄₅
Subpar. Maybe it would’ve been better as a beef burger, but I went with the chicken, which ended up being somewhat dry and very bland. My friend got the Kahuna Burger with a beef patty though and said it was also dry, so I’m not sure a different patty would’ve been better. The burger overall was pretty bland itself too since there was no sauce. I guess it was pretty healthy though. Fries were pretty below average as well. I’d recommend skipping the burgers in general. Pretty underwhelming.
–CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE ($ 18) — 4.5÷5
Wow. The corned beef was SUPER tender and surprisingly not too salty like most corned beef I’ve had. Definitely a very hearty dish. The corned beef can be pretty fatty. The cabbage, carrots and mashed potatoes were all good as well. Definitely recommend!
–TRUFFLED MAC & CHEESE ($ 15) — ⁴⁄₅
You can add toppings (like bacon or jalapenos) for $ 1.50 each. Pretty good as far as mac and cheese goes. Strong truffle smell but the taste itself wasn’t as truffle-​y. Cheesy and rich. It would’ve been too heavy for me to eat as my entrée, but I think it’s good for sharing as a side.

MacDuff’s really deserves their stellar 5-​star reputation. On-​point service, excellent grub and booze, and on top of all that, they are dog-​friendly. The combination of their name and the fact that they are dog-​friendly made me think about the 1980s cartoon detective bloodhound, McGruff the Crime Dog. Yea, I’m a wee bit old…
MacDuff’s opened its doors in 2010 when three Highlander brothers from Aberdeen, Scotland opened up the gastropub to serve those who were visiting the «highlands» of California/​Nevada. Our family, two hoomans and an amazing furbaby, ended up at MacDuff’s because it was one of the few dog-​friendly places in South Lake Tahoe that was also highly rated.
Let me pause here and say that after adopting our little guy, we quickly found out that it was hard finding dog-​friendly places. And when we did, more often than not the food was not that great. Well let me tell you what. MacDuff’s is one of those few gems where they check off every tick box because MacDuff’s is «belter» (translation — fucking excellent).
The wife and I ended up sharing the buffalo wings and the Reuben sandwich and some craft beer. Who knew that the Scots could cook up some mean ass wangsss? Just be forewarned that you may want to stay away from their spicy wings (Scottish Thunder) unless you enjoy having burning Bravefarts (lame joke) come out of your asshole. So yeah… I would recommend getting their mild buffalo wings.
As for the Reuben, holy-​ghost-​of-​William-​Wallace was the sammy fucking good. Thick cuts of melt-​in-​your-​mouth slow-​cooked corned beef married with swiss cheese and a delectable housemade sauerkraut served on freshly baked rye created such an oral orgasm that it made me want to scream FREEEEEEEDOM!!! (Sorry, I loved Braveheart… I still cry like a loser when I watch that ending…).
Honestly, we will be returning to MacDuff’s when we go back to Lake Tahoe. After all, we still need to try their Shepherd’s Pie! Moreover, since they serve everything from whisky to whiskey, how can we not come back since everyone that knows us knows that we love a good grain-​mashed beverage.
So yes, MacDuff’s is really all that and then some. As the Scottish say, this place is «pure barry» (translation: fantastic).
*For those with furbabies: Located to the northwest across the street at the western side of the T-​intersection of Fremont Avenue and Sandy Way is a little park where you can take your four-​legged children to relieve themselves.

The shepherd’s pie was definitely on point and apparently all made fresh each day — just thought the price was on the high side for the portions given and the service wasn’t the friendliest. Still, for Tahoe not a bad deal and probably a great place to enjoy drinks with fellow mountaineers.